USC needs adjustments in scheme, attitude

Jan. 2, 2013

Updated Aug. 21, 2013 1:17 p.m.

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USC quarterbacks Max Wittek, left, and Cody Kessler, center, will be battling for the starting job with incoming freshman Max Browne. One of their top targets will be Marqise Lee, right. ARMANDO BROWN, SPECIAL TO THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

USC quarterbacks Max Wittek, left, and Cody Kessler, center, will be battling for the starting job with incoming freshman Max Browne. One of their top targets will be Marqise Lee, right. ARMANDO BROWN, SPECIAL TO THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

It's fitting that USC's season ended just a few hours before the calendar flipped.

In so many ways, 2013 will be different for the Trojans. The hype is gone. No more "Unfinished Business." No more Heisman-favorite status. No more players' images atop billboards in Westwood and Times Square.

Perhaps now the Trojans can get back to football. Monday's Sun Bowl loss to Georgia Tech showed that the Trojans no longer wear swagger well. Those days are gone. Pete Carroll's USC could strut and still beat teams by five touchdowns. Lane Kiffin's Trojans show up late to dinner, then don't show up for games at all.

So while the microanalysis of what went wrong, how the preseason top-ranked team finished with a 7-6 record, will go deep into the spring, the simple fact is that this team needs an attitude adjustment.

Perhaps it will come from within. With Matt Barkley, Khaled Holmes, T.J. McDonald and Robert Woods (and perhaps Nickell Robey) gone, a new leadership core will step up. Those players were model citizens and teammates, but they seemingly couldn't do much to pull the team out of its late-season tailspin.

Neither could Kiffin, and therein lies the bigger short-term questions. Will he follow through on his stated goal to "sign the No. 1 recruiting class in the country"? Will he hire an effective defensive coordinator, one who can slow spread offenses? Will he give up play-calling duties and take a wider approach to coaching?

All of those things, to various extents, are necessary, but USC also needs an infusion of passion. Too often, the Trojans played as though they believed sheer talent, rather than work and energy, would win games.

That, too, goes back to Kiffin. Too often on the sideline – standing alone, peering at his play sheet – Kiffin looks as though he's managing an assembly line, not coaching a football team. He doesn't need to bounce along the sideline as Carroll once did, but a little more enthusiasm and player interaction couldn't hurt.

Why the focus on Kiffin? Because 2013 will be all about him. With a couple big exceptions – quarterback and safety – the Trojans return experienced players and shouldn't suffer a big drop in talent level.

On offense, the Trojans know who will catch the ball next season but are less certain who will throw it.

Woods will jump to the NFL, rather than return for his senior season, but USC returns Marqise Lee, who won the Biletnikoff Award as the top college receiver this season. Part-time 2012 starter Nelson Agholor returns, as does highly regarded but often-injured George Farmer and De'Von Flournoy.

Who will replace Barkley at quarterback? Max Wittek started the final two games of the season but didn't dazzle, so it's fair to assume he will start spring in a tight battle with Cody Kessler and incoming freshman Max Browne. Wittek still probably has the edge, but a smaller one than he had a week ago.

Silas Redd should be the clear-cut starter at tailback, running behind a mostly intact offensive line. The only hole is Holmes' departure at center. Marcus Martin worked there during bowl practices, and if he sticks, it could open up a spot for talented lineman Zach Banner, who redshirted this year.

On the other, much will be determined by who replaces Monte Kiffin as the defensive architect. A new scheme will be put in place, and how will the new coordinator evaluate USC's personnel?

The new guy will inherit a strong front seven. Only defensive end Wes Horton departs from the line, and sliding into that spot will be Devon Kennard, who would have been a major contributor this season if not for a knee injury. Linebackers include Dion Bailey, Lamar Dawson and Hayes Pullard.

The secondary will need some work, because McDonald and Jawanze Starling are departing seniors. Robey is expected to announce within days whether he will go to the NFL and the other corner, Josh Shaw, is a natural safety, and USC would probably prefer to see him return there.

That's where recruiting comes in, and will there be issues there as well? On Wednesday, receiver Sebastian LaRue became the third player to de-commit from USC, but the Trojans are still expected to pull in a top-five national class, one that includes top safety Su'a Cravens.

Will those prospects have confidence in USC and Kiffin? Athletic Director Pat Haden has been effusive in his support of the coach in recent weeks, but that only goes so far, and Kiffin's grace period is about to end.

If the Trojans don't show improvement by the time the calendar flips to 2014, the question will almost certainly be, "Who is the next coach?"

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